THE unemployed are getting just 15 minutes each with job advisors in Wales after a series of cuts has left the service under strain, it was claimed last night.

Closures made across the Jobcentre Plus network during the boom years means the sudden hike in people looking for work has squeezed the struggling system.

Over the last six years 48 of the 111 centres across the country have closed down. Those remaining are dealing with an average 159% increase in claimants, Liberal Democrat research shows.

The rural unemployed are being hit hardest, frontbencher Jenny Willott fears, because they are forced to make long journeys to get support.

She said: “The government has left Wales with a threadbare and desperately overstretched Jobcentre network that is starting to buckle at the knees.

“Nearly half of all Jobcentres in Wales in 2002 have been closed.

“As a result jobseekers often have to travel long distances to get to their nearest Jobcentre and often only to find a huge queue when they finally get there.

“What’s more, each Jobcentre personal adviser is supporting a massive 144 dole claimants back into work. It means that each advisor only has about 15 minutes per person per week to help them back into work.

“The idea that they have the time to offer tailored support and training is ridiculous.

“This is only going to get worse as unemployment is expected to rocket over the next year.

“The government promises that people who lose their job will get the very best support available but this is simply not possible with such a stripped down Jobcentre network and hardworking Jobcentre staff are being pushed to the absolute limit.”

Latest figures show there is a backlog of more than 3,600 Jobseeker allowance claims with around a third of those being dealt with by the Wrexham benefit delivery centre.